Shidaisaurus
- Lived
- 171 to 168 million years ago, Middle Jurassic
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Metriacanthosauridae
- Found in
- China
- Named by
- Wu et al. 2009
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
170 million years ago
Habitat
Inland plains with rivers and lakes in China. Analong and Chuanjiesaurus lived in the same region.
Field notes
About Shidaisaurus
What it was like
Shidaisaurus was a mid-sized, two-legged meat eater, an early relative of Sinraptor and Yangchuanosaurus. It is known from part of a skeleton.
Its world
It lived in the Middle Jurassic, in what is now China. It comes from the Chuanjie Formation, where it shared the land with the sauropods Analong and Chuanjiesaurus.
How it was found
Wu and colleagues named Shidaisaurus in 2009.
Field gallery
More views of Shidaisaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 2
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Shidaisaurus.
The evidence
The science behind Shidaisaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- An incomplete skeleton with parts of the skull roof, braincase, backbone and hips.
- The skull roof is broad, and the early neck bones lack the large air openings found in some later relatives.
Borrowed from relatives
- Sinraptor and Yangchuanosaurus help restore the missing face and limbs of this two-legged meat eater.
Still unknown
- The complete shape of its face and hands.
- Its skin covering and color.
- How its body changed as it grew.
Discovery timeline
- 2009Named itWU et al.
- 2012Family treeCarrano, Benson & Sampson
- 2025Close relativeZou et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Shidaisaurus
Named it
Named a meat eater from China using distinctive features of its braincase, neck and hips.
A New Theropod Dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Lufeng, Yunnan, China. Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition 83: 9-24
Read the paper : A New Theropod Dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Lufeng, Yunnan, China (opens in a new tab)Family tree
Compared early meat eaters and clarified the family tree of the group that includes Shidaisaurus, Sinraptor and Yangchuanosaurus.
The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 10: 211-300
Read the paper : The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) (opens in a new tab)Close relative
Described Yuanmouraptor and compared its skull and neck with Shidaisaurus, finding similarities but supporting their separation as distinct genera.
A new metriacanthosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Yunnan Province, China. PeerJ 13: e19218
Read the paper : A new metriacanthosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Yunnan Province, China (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Metriacanthosauridae
Sources: Wikidata